Monthly Archives: October 2010

Christchurch Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s concert An Echoing Voice was performed at Hind Leys College, Shepshed on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th November 2010. The concert celebrated the successful, if sometimes tumultuous, writing partnership of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, which produced a total of 13 comic operas.

The concert was narrated by Gilbert (played by Steve Shipton) as he reflects on his collaborations with Sullivan and included songs from all of their operettas including The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore and The Gondoliers. Songs included were ‘When I was a lad’ (HMS Pinafore), ‘When the foeman’ (The Pirates of Penzance), ‘Peers Chorus’ (Iolanthe), ‘Three Little Maids’ (The Mikado) and ‘Dance a Cachucha’ (The Gondoliers).

The concert proved popular with the Society itself and featured their largest ever cast with over 40 members taking part. This proved a challenge to the concert’s directors, Nicole Jordan and Richard Perkins, who had the task of fitting everyone on stage at once for the chorus numbers!

The group used this concert to establish November as the new time of year for future productions.The next full-scale production The Gondoliers followed in November 2011.